Advent 1 • 27 Nov 2016

Isaiah 2:1-5Romans 13:11-14Matthew 24:36-44

Rev. Chris Udy

Today is the 1st week in Advent,which means we’re also4 weeks from Christmas –and despite the interesting year we’ve had,soon we’ll all be telling each otherto be happy:happy Christmas, happy new year,happy holiday …

Happiness has been getting a lot of attentionover the last few years.It’s being suggested as a better wayto measure the health of a societythan some of the traditional indicatorslike national productivity or personal wealth.In Bhutan the king started measuring‘Gross National Happiness’ 25 years ago,and economists and politicians around the worldhave said that increasing happinessshould be a key element of government policy.In the US, one of the more helpful responsesto the recent Presidential electionshas seen a rash of people wearing red hatsthat read ‘Make America Happy Again’ –and that seems to be a very sensible idea.Apparently we here in Australiaare already fairly happy;we regularly score 75 out of 100in the annual survey of happiness -although, understandably, some places have problems.We’re happy partly because, as a nation,we’re fairly secure financiallyand most of us reportthat we live in satisfying relationships -that the people we share our lives withbring us joy.But there are some very interesting findingsemerging from research around the worldabout what makes us happy,and about the sort of thingsthat happy people do.

Jessica Irvine wrote about the first onefor an article in the Sydney Morning Herald.She said: “Drawing on the Gallup World Poll,a survey of about a quarter of a million peoplein 136 countries,the researchers claim to have proved statisticallythe first universal rule of human psychologyto exist regardless of culture or relative income:give, and you shall receive happiness”.

In a program produced by the ABC a few years ago,called ‘Making Australia Happy’it was fascinating to seethat the both the hardestand the most rewarding taskparticipants were asked to take onwas to do something generous -to give something away, with no strings attached,to a stranger - to someone they didn’t know.It was an exercise backed up by serious research.In the research - as in the TV program -the participants were first given $100to spend on themselves -on anything they chose - a meal, clothing, anything -and they were then asked to recordhow happy that $100 made them feel.The next week they were given $20 -so one-fifth as much as they spent on themselves -and told to use it for someone else’s benefit -again, whatever they chose -and asked to record their feelings.Not only did doing something generousmake people feel more happythan spending it on themselves,but the feeling lasted much longer,and had other positive effects.

And generosity isn’t only about money.In the TV program the participants were askedto repeat another study,where the student subjects were directedto commit five random acts of kindnessevery week for six weeks.The students had their happiness levels measuredat the beginning and at the end of the six weeksand the researchers foundtheir happiness had increasedby more than 40%.So give, and you’ll receive - happiness.

The second interesting findingin studies on happinessis that people who are religious -people who worship,people who spend time in prayer and meditation,people who belong to a faith community -have higher levels of happiness and ‘life satisfaction’than those who don’t. http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/10/05/3029018.htmReligious people - according to these studies -tend to live with a stronger senseof identity and purpose;they receive supportfrom other members of their faith communities,and even when things do go wrong in their livesthey tend to be more resilient -they “suffer less psychological harm”. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7302609.stm

It’s striking how similarthe exercises in ‘Making Australia Happy’ areto traditional spiritual disciplines and teachings.The program started with an exercisemany people have tried:writing their own obituary or eulogy,and being aware of the differencebetween what someone might say about themat their funeral if it were to be held today,and what they would want someone to sayabout their lives, and their relationships,and the values that they lived by.The presenters in the programthen taught the participantsthe disciplines of mindfulness -which is active meditation -a kind of contemplative prayer.It involves living in the present,paying attention to what’s happening now,seeing the beauty in the world -and also its sadness.Mindfulness is the disciplineof staying in the world as it is,not running backto stew over past hurts and resentmentsnor jumping aheadto whatever’s next to come,but staying present, listening and seeing,tasting and touching,and being aware of our feelings,but not being ruled by them,as they come and go.

The presenters in that programalso placed a strong emphasison being thankful - being grateful -through an exercise called ‘Three Good Things’.The participants were askedto keep a diary and record three good thingsthat had happened to them each day -like a daily discipline of thanksgiving -saying grace before a meal,reviewing a day before falling asleephighlighting moments of beauty,or affirmations of friendship and love –that sort of thing.Generosity then comes naturally -we become generous because we’re grateful.We recognise how importantand how precious and how fragile,our relationships are,so we strengthen them -we help them deepen and grow.

So what does all this happiness have to dowith Baptism and with Advent?

Miki has asked usto celebrate her baptism,and we have affirmedGod’s blessing and love for her.Our conviction is that God’s hope for heris happiness:to live a life of purpose, peace and meaning.So she needs a community –family, friends and neighbours who care for her.She needs people to share life with and to learn from;people who can encourage her,and challenge her;people who’ll remind herto be mindful, and thankful, and generous.In this faith community we also affirmthat Miki is a child of God,and all God’s daughters and God’s sonsare Miki’s brothers and sisters.

Last Friday Pope Francismade some headlines around the worldby saying that in God’s heartthere are no enemies, no aliens;“God has only sons and daughters,” he said.“We are the ones who raise walls,build barriers, and label people.God has sons and daughtersprecisely so that no one will be turned away.”

Celebrating Baptism with Moniqueis also an excellent wayto celebrate Advent Sunday;to begin a whole new year of worship and lifein this community of faith.We remind ourselvesthat we also have a place among God’s children -we are also daughters and sons of God,and we are also, along with all our neighbours,God’s concern and God’s delight.

Advent can be a profoundly happy season.Unfortunately sometimes we get pushedto jump over it to Christmas;we start singing Christmas carols much too soon,we go to party after party after party,we get anxious about planning and buyingfor Christmas Dayand we easily forget to live each day,mindfully, gratefully, and generously.

So Advent re-sets the calendar.It’s is a wonderful season to be mindful.We’re surrounded by beauty:jacarandas filling the trees with Advent purple,the agapanthus buds that survive the kidsall bursting into flower,days that aren’t too hot and aren’t too cold -even if they can be a little bit wet and windy.

In Advent our sources of fear and frustrationtake a break.Politicians and current affairs shows go on holidayand we start focussing on the peopleand parts of life that really are important.We have chances to spend timewith people we love;we’re invited to be thankful,we’re encouraged to be generous -we’re given permissionto do all the things that lead to happiness.

The essential spiritual discipline of Adventis active waiting -conscious, alert, hopeful, joyful waiting.Advent waiting is similar to mindfulness -but it has another dimension – a deeper story.It’s being aware that the gift of lifealways comes with history and with promise,and that the promise of life is alwaysabout to be fulfilled -but Advent’s challenge to dwell in the now,not in the past or the future.Advent is Mary, although she’s too youngto be confronted with such responsibility,saying ‘Yes’ to life and to God,and Advent is also Elizabeth,who thought she would never have children,feeling her baby grow in her wombwondering whether she could still take new life on.Advent is getting ready, becoming prepared,enjoying life’s potential -but not being flustered or overwhelmed;not getting anxious about the detailsor letting family politics frustrate us.It’s being awake, and alert,thinking gratefully and hopefullyabout the people we loveand thinking about a way to let them knowthat they’re precious to us.It’s about knowingthat we, and the world, and the world’s lifeare so important to Godthat God has come, and keeps on coming,to share it with us, and to help it heal.

Advent waiting is about livingmindfully, gratefully, generously.It’s the season when we can genuinelywish for - and work for – happiness:the happiness of those we loveand for the world.So, as Jesus in our Gospel reading said –be ready, stay alert and be awake,for the night is gone,and the day is near:and Happy Advent.